Christenings 

Anyone can get in touch with us to find out about having their child christened. For families who live in the Parish of Oxted*, you are entitled to have your child baptised in the Parish Church. If you live in another parish, but have a strong link to Oxted, this may be possible too. However you should consider contacting your local church.

During a christening your child will be baptised with water. It’s the start of an amazing journey of faith for your child and a special day for all your friends and family.

Exploring more about what a christening means

Your child is precious to you and precious to God. You want the very best for them, and so does God. You want them to make right choices in life, for themselves and for others.

A christening is just the beginning of this and so much more. Over the years to come, it’s a journey you’ll share together with your child by:

• Being there for your child to talk to about the bigger questions of life – questions about hope, faith and love.
• Praying for your child through the ups and downs of their faith journey.
• Showing them practically how to make those good choices in life.
• Helping them to learn more about their Christian faith, through their church and in other ways.

So it’s a commitment to start as you mean to go on. Parents and Godparents will make some important promises for the child. If you are unable to make these promises, you can have a 'Service of Thanksgiving' as an alternative to baptism. The is a special church service, different from a christening, and can be used as a way to say thank you to God for your child.

For more information, take a look at the Church of England's website on christenings.

More information on Services of Thanksgiving can be found here.

* To find out which parish you live in, go to achurchnearyou.com